The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved and passed a total budget size of N1.6 trillion for the Nigerian Customs Service for 2021 even as lawmakers expressed shock at a welfare package of N2 billion as a “retirement incentive” for retirees of the customs service.
Senator Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi North) was quick to draw the Senate’s attention to the “retirement incentive”, arguing that it was not ‘normal to make such provision for officers who are already entitled to their retirement benefits when discharged from service.
In his reaction, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, Francis Alimikhena, explained that the N2billion is not for one person but for all the ranks and file of personnel.
He said the “retirement incentive” was for officers who distinguish themselves while in active service.
This was as another Senator, Bala Ibn N’allah raised eyebrows over the plan to spend N200 million as maintenance for customs aircraft and another N100 million for fueling an aircraft that is grounded at the moment.
Again Alimikhena offered an explanation when he said his committee queried it initially but eventually allowed it after customs authorities said it was necessary to keep servicing the aircraft when it was not flying at the moment.
There were more queries regarding another N180 million for cleaning and fumigation of customs facilities across the country and a whopping N90 million to be spent on refreshment and meals.
Speaking, Senator, Abdullahi Sabi, expressed concern that the customs seems to be spending more money on non-essential items and ignoring spending on more weapons to protect officers from attacks by smugglers.
Despite the queries, the Senate approved the customs budget for 2021; and even went ahead to increase the size from an initial N1.4 trillion to N1.6 trillion.
The upper legislative chamber also approved the sum of another N257billion as income and expenditure for the Customs.
In his contribution, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, called on the Senate Committee to through its oversight function ensure the budget is properly implemented.
